It had us at “adventures.” Ever since the series was announced at Celebration Orlando 2017, IDW Publishing’s Star Wars Adventures comic has been eagerly awaited by fans. With a beautiful 2D-cartoon-on-paper art style and saga-spanning all-ages stories, the title looked like pure Star Wars fun and something that readers of any age could enjoy. Star Wars Adventures #1, by writer Cavan Scott and artist Derek Charm, arrives today, and it’s everything we hoped for — an energetic tale starring Rey, completely charming and exciting, but not without real insight into her character. (And there’s a backup Obi-Wan tale, to boot.) StarWars.com e-mailed with Scott and Charm to discuss their initial impressions of Rey in The Force Awakens, crafting their story, and kicking off a series that might be a young reader’s first step into a larger world. Or worlds.

StarWars.com: Issue #1 features an early adventure of Rey’s. What did you think of her when you first saw The Force Awakens, and what was it like to tell a Rey story set before those events?

Cavan Scott: I loved her. She’s a survivor, but a survivor who hasn’t sacrificed her sense of right and wrong while trying to scratch out an existence in the harshest of conditions. I think some of the most powerful moments for me came right at the beginning of the film when we see her alone in her wrecked AT-AT walker. You can see her resilience, but soon find out that, even though she’s lived a difficult life, she still wants to help people, putting their needs ahead of her own.

It was so much fun to go back to a time where she has yet to meet BB-8 and Finn. Jakku seems such a well-rounded world in The Force Awakens, so I wanted to delve more into the life of a scavenger and the community at Niima Outpost. And when you deal with Niima, you have to deal with Unkar Plutt who plays a big part in Star Wars Adventures’ first arc.

Plus, I also got to sneak in my favorite Niima resident — Bobbajo. I love that little crittermonger. I can’t believe we haven’t got an action figure of him yet. I need one to go with the Rey and Plutt toys in my study!

Derek Charm: One of the magical things about Star Wars is you can zoom into any planet and find a compelling character whose journey you want to see. Rey is living her own little life, outside of the galactic conflict, but her willingness to help others and do the right thing leads her into this larger universe. What’s really cool about doing a story set before The Force Awakens is focusing on those seemingly minor background characters like Unkar and Zuvio who we don’t really know anything about, and spending some time in their world.

StarWars.com: As a character that’s become so important to so many people, what did you want to achieve in your take on her?

Cavan Scott: I really wanted to get that across that although she is world-weary, she’s also brave, resourceful, and more than capable. Not only that, Rey has a good heart and will do well by people even if they don’t necessarily do well by her.

Above all, she’s a hero. I tried to see her through the eyes of my daughters who adore her. She’s right up there with Leia and Ahsoka as far as they’re concerned. I didn’t want to let them down by writing a Rey they didn’t recognize. And, if I could get it right for them, I reckoned I’d get it right for the rest of her fans, too.

Derek Charm: One of the things I appreciated about Cavan’s scripts for this story is that Rey is always on the go — running from one adventure to the next. We see this aspect of her in The Force Awakens, too. She’s always down to help and do what’s right in this selfless way. She’s even willing to help people who she may not consider friends because it’s the right thing to do.

StarWars.com: Derek, fans are really excited about your art and the look of the series, which is reminiscent of classic animation. Was it a challenge to capture such well-known actors and locations and ships in your style?

Derek Charm: With this project, the idea was to capture the essence of the character Rey, not necessarily the likeness of Daisy Ridley, if that makes sense. We did a lot of back and forth with her, trying to get something that boiled down her iconic traits to something simple that still felt like Rey. It’s really cool that Lucasfilm sees the value of doing artistic interpretations of its characters rather than focusing so much on actor likenesses. The aliens and ships are a lot of fun to try to strip down and simplify, too. I’m really happy with how Unkar and the Niima Outpost aliens all came out.

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About the author

Mike is one of the founders and owners of the Collector's Cantina. He lives in Central MA with his two children. He has been a Star Wars fan since he was a kid and saw Star Wars in theater. Mike is the Vice President and co-Editor of the site. He is also responsible for the Graphic Design, News, Event Coverage, Social Media management, and Photography.